Suitable for children in Year 2 (age 6), Ben's Amazing Birthday is from the Cambridge Reading genre strand Narrative Recounts, a strand which motivates children to explore their personal responses and make links to their own experiences.

Each story in this set of nine marks a significant event from someone's childhood.

Retold by Richard Brown, Ben's Amazing Birthday is set in Sydney, Australia.

The events of this story took place during the serious bush fires that blazed in and around Sydney in January 1994.

With news of the bushfires spreading on the TV and radio, Ben worries about his relations travelling through the bush to get to his birthday party.

That's before the family's attention is turned to events closer to home.

Narrative recounts also provide excellent models for children's own writing.